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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — help
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fine — all right
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. plane — a tool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cell — in biology
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com